There was a huge, gray TV against the green wall. The TV was on a low, wooden shelf that was full of pocket books. In front of the TV was a coffee table with a brown glass. There was a small pool of blood on the glass. Two, white sofas were facing the coffee table.
There was a group of policemen in the inner part of the house. Mack joined them. He said something to them, and they all turned and watched Lisa.
Lisa approached the coffee table, walking past a pair of grocery bags that were lying on the floor in a messy way with their contents spilled across the floor. An apple rested against one of the legs of the coffee table. There was a spray of blood on the sofa to her left, and a male corpse was lying on the floor between the sofa and the coffee table. There was a huge, gray rug with circular patterns under the coffee table. The corpse was naked and lying face down on the rug. White chalk had been drawn around the corpse by the CSIs.
Chapter 3
The corpse had short, brown hair and extremely white skin. A bloody hole was at the right back of his head. His face was submerged in a large pool of blood that had soaked the whole rug. Some of the blood had flowed beneath the sofa, staining the ends of the ruffles of its cover. But most of the blood had collected around his face, hiding it from Lisa.
Lisa squatted next to the corpse, leaning for a closer look at the wound. There was a smell of blood and raw meat near the corpse. The wound wasn’t a neat hole. The scalp around the hole was bulging so much, that some of the hair strands in that area were sticking upward. Part of the scalp around the hole was missing. “An exit wound, Inspector?” Lisa looked up from the corpse to Mack, who was leaning from behind the sofa with his fellow policemen and watching Lisa with curiosity.
The policeman to Mack’s right was short, fat, hairy, and brown haired. “Matthews” was written on his nameplate.
The other cop with Mack and Matthews was as tall as Mack, but thinner. Written on his nameplate was “Reyes.”
“Yes, Ma’am,” Reyes said and walked to the inner part of the room. He was pointing to the wall and saying, “He was shot from the inside of the house, the bullet went through his head, and it hit this wall.”
“How do you know he was shot from inside the house when Inspector Gordon here said you didn’t touch the body at all?” Lisa asked, starting to straighten up.
Reyes paused and turned. “We looked for an entry point of the bullet and there was none. Besides, the tiny gate and the door were unlocked. The killer could have easily walked right in while the two were making love.”
“Making love?” Lisa asked, looking at the corpse again. What appeared to be a large pool of blood where his face was submerged were actually a small pile of clothes that had been so soaked in blood, that they were all red.
“Wildly making love, Ma’am,” Mack added, pointing to the clothes. “He ripped her dress off of her. They were mixed with his own clothing there.”
“Now soaked in his blood,” Lisa said to herself as she looked at the corpse one more time. She retreated and walked to the inner part of the house to follow Reyes, Mack and Matthews following close behind her. “Show me where the bullet hit.”
The second area of the house was occupied by a huge, wooden dining table. Many wooden chairs were evenly distributed around the dining table, but the side of the table that was along the corridor had no chair. The wooden walls were white, making it easy to spot the bullet that had stuck into the far wall. Lisa passed by Reyes and approached the bullet, passing by the chairs of the table. Mack and Matthews stood behind Reyes. It was gold and buried deep into the wood and tilted upward. Somehow, the wood was strong enough to not let it pass through. Lisa looked at the bullet, then to the direction of the front door. “The bullet was probably fired right after the suspect entered the door, and I’m just guessing this, but he might be a short man.”
“Maybe he had the gun concealed in his coat and held it lower than usual,” Reyes said, standing next to the table. Matthews and Mack didn’t say anything, Mack putting his arms across his chest as he watched Lisa.
“I want to see the next corpse,” Lisa said, turning and walking out of the dining area. This time, the three cops walked ahead of her.
The last area of the room to the back was the kitchen, with the bedroom to its left and the bathroom to its right. There was another door next to the bathroom. The door was light brown.
The kitchen was separated from the dining area by decorative, wooden bars that were painted white. A group of men can be seen in between the bars crowding around something in the kitchen, two of them squatting on the floor. The three policemen stopped at the back of one of the men and turned, Mack motioning Lisa into the kitchen. Lisa walked into the kitchen.
It was just a small kitchen with a wooden counter that had cabinets underneath, wall cabinets above the counter, a large oven at the left end of the counter, a microwave oven above the large oven, a percolator, and a knife container that had a complete set of knives. One slot in the container was empty. There was a silver sink in the middle of the kitchen and colorful pot holders were hanging from a line of wooden hooks on the wall above the sink. The air there was warmer, but the smell of death was still there, and the smell of blood and meat was stronger.
A petite, skinny girl was tied to a chair in the middle of the men. The chair was one of the chairs from the dining area. The men were CSIs and they were investigating the corpse.
The girl had light blue, teary eyes that were wide open in terror. One of her eyes was swollen and had dark marks on the skin around it. Her thick eyelashes were as brown as her neat eyebrows and her messy, shoulder-length curls. Her head rested on her shoulder and the back of the chair. Her face had an asymmetrical shape, the left side of her jaw swollen. Her lips were also swollen, and her mouth was open.
She was completely naked. She had a fine neck and shoulders. She had small hands and feet. Her body had a perfect hourglass shape. There were bruises on the left side of her waist. Her wrists were tied to the armrests of the chair and her ankles were tied to the legs of the chair. She was seated on the chair in a messy way. Her butt was seated on the leftmost side of the chair, her right shoulder was lifted, her right elbow was on the armrest of the chair while her left elbow was not, and her hands were twisted to the sides of the arm rest. Her feet were twisted inward like she was trying to pull them together. Her porcelain white skin was in extreme contrast to the redness of the blood that was almost all over her.
There was a bullet hole on her forehead. Blood was flowing out of the bullet hole and down on her nose. Her nose was bent and had a small wound on it. Blood was also flowing out of the wound, collecting at the tip of her nose and over her upper lip. Her lips were red with blood that was flowing from inside her mouth and down her body. She had blood on her neck, her breasts, her belly, her vagina, and her thighs. There were drops of blood on the chair and on the floor between her feet. A bloody knife was on the floor before her.
Lisa walked toward the girl as the man who was on the floor stood up and moved aside for Lisa. Lisa leaned toward the girl’s face, looking at her. Lisa started to feel dizzy, and blinked her eyes rapidly to remain conscious. Lisa bent down, studying every part of the girl’s body. “Sir,” Lisa said, looking at the girl’s nails. “Please take a sample of what’s under her fingernails. She might have scratched her assailant.”
“Sir,” Lisa straightened up and turned to look at the CSI who was standing behind the girl. “Would you please give me one of those?”
Lisa was pointing to the CSI’s surgical gloves. “Yes, Ma’am,” the CSI quickly turned to the kitchen counter to get a box of surgical gloves. He handed the box to Lisa, Lisa took out two gloves, and the CSI placed the box back on the kitchen counter.
“And please hand me one of your flashlights,” Lisa said as she put on her gloves.
The CSI dug into his pocket and brought out a small flashlight. He gave it to Lisa. Lisa switched on the flashlights, casting its light on the girl’s eyes. Then she point
ed the flashlight into the girl’s mouth. Lisa bent a bit to get a better view inside the girl’s mouth. “Her tongue is cut off.”
The CSI next to her leaned to peer into the girl’s mouth also. “They do that in Mexico for the loved ones of people whom they don’t want to report to the police,” he stated. “Drug dealers do it as a warning.”
“They sometimes don’t do it as a warning,” the CSI behind the girl said. “Back in my town, they did it to an informant as revenge. Pulled his eyeballs out and cut his tongue out. He was the star witness in a local trial that had a whole cartel imprisoned. Different forms of messages --- warning and revenge --- but still the same message: to just shut up.”
Lisa kept staring into the girl’s mouth and what was left of her tongue as the CSIs talked.
“Ma’am,” Lisa heard Mack’s voice interrupt her concentration. “You need to interview her fiancé.”
Lisa straightened up and turned to walk to Mack. Mack led her back outside the house, where a man with a hideous appearance was waiting for her at the car that was parked next to the house. He was the man in white jacket who had his back turned to her earlier.
Lisa shook hands with him, looking at his face. “Good evening, Sir,” Lisa said with a slight smile.
“Good evening, Ma’am,” he said, looking at Lisa. His voice was soft. He had a huge hand and a firm handshake. It was hard to tell if he looked more frightening than his fiancé that night or not.
The Beast had silver eyes, but one of those eyes was protruding out of its socket and damaged. His eyelids were protruding with it. There was a slice mark that lead from his left eye and to the different parts of his face. He had black eyebrows, but the left one was cut in two by the slice mark. There were two slice marks over his nose, and the lower slice was deep enough to separate the lower part of his nose from the upper part of his nose. There was a diagonal slice mark over his lips, almost cutting his lower lip in two. Because of this cut on his lower lip, his mouth had become asymmetrical whenever he wasn’t talking.
He was bald, extremely tall, and totally muscular. He had huge shoulders, biceps, and hands. He was wearing a white hoodie, denim jeans, and white sneakers.
Lisa continued to look at him and said, “May I know your name?”
“Sebastian Castro, Ma’am.”
“Aren’t you previously in the military?”
“Yes, 1st Lieutenant Sebastian Castro, Ma’am,” he said, his good eye blinking rapidly.
“Where did you fight?” Lisa asked.
“Iraq War, Ma’am. I got these scars from the ground. A Taliban member mutilated my face because I held on to the gigantic bomb he was going to detonate. My commander killed him before he can skin my face completely.”
“So, tell me what happened. Here.”
“I had just arrived home. I found a body in my living room, then I saw three men surrounding Angela. I dropped everything I was carrying and tried to chase them, but they were impossibly fast. They all escaped out the back door and climbed up the wall.”
“Where did you come from?”
“I came from the grocery store to buy some food. I also came from the church to finalize the wedding plans ... and ... and also the computer shop.”
Lisa sensed movement in the nearby small gate. It was Orlando. He was looking exactly like he did the last time she saw him. “Well, thanks for your cooperation, Lieutenant,” Lisa said to the Beast.
“Thanks, Ma’am,” the Beast said.
Lisa turned away and walked toward Orlando. “You’re late!” She told Orlando.
“Nope, you’re the one who’s late,” Orlando said, concealing a grin. “I’ve been here right after the forensics arrived. Two bodies. Two bullets. Lover’s name is Mark Lewis, a call boy from Sauna Avenue. Small world?”
“Yeah, and what’s that you’re holding?” Lisa asked, looking at the paper in Orlando’s hand.
“A summary of the Beast’s profile,” he said, waving the paper to Lisa like showcasing magic.
“Dammit. We’re not here to talk about cartoons and your computer games. Orlando, get down to business,” Lisa said, placing her hands on her hips.
“Not Belle’s Beast, my lady who sleeps in pink,” Orlando said, grinning at Lisa’s night gown.
“Shut. Up.” Lisa said in a threatening voice.
Orlando chuckled, then continued speaking. “I mean the Beast, Lieutenant Sebastian Castro, that’s what they call him in the military.”
“Oh, I see,” Lisa said, her face relaxing. She removed her hands from her hips and took the paper from Orlando to read it.
“He’s one dude you don’t want to be your enemy. Extremely violent. No inhibitions in fighting. Killed dozens of Iraqis, I bet. He was feared in his unit and they call him ‘the Beast.’ Skilled in hand-to-hand combat, gunfights, sword fights, you name it. Never been wounded, not until that day when he saved his whole unit from a bomb. Do you believe his story?”
“Where did you get this?” Lisa asked, scanning the whole page.
“My friend from the CIA faxed it to me. I asked for it to get some deeper insight into the Beast. He told me nobody will accept him when he came home from the war. They were frightened of his face. Rejected him. Said Angela was the only person in the world who still cared about him. Sounds obsessed.”
“Yeah, I’m doing my very best to not let my past cloud my judgment,” Lisa said. “But the sight of Angela there on the chair really makes me feel fury toward Lieutenant.”
“What past?” Orlando asked.
“Nothing. So, what else did he say?” Lisa asked.
“I interviewed the neighbors, and they said they don’t know much about the Beast. Said he was a very quiet man who rarely wandered out of his property. Sounds like a recluse,” Orlando said
“Wait, you interviewed him and the neighbors without my permission?!” Lisa exclaimed, angrily looking at Orlando.
“Hey, I’m just helping you,” Orlando said, shifting his weight. “I thought you would still be asleep and might not make it.”
“What the hell did you think of me ...” Lisa said, her voice trailing off as she continued reading the paper. Then she asked, “So what conclusion did you have from your damn interviews?”
“I say we frisk the Beast. The gun that fired the two bullets were the same. Let’s see if he has the gun. We both know the partner is always the prime suspect when the other half of the relationship gets murdered. He has a motive.”
“Fine,” Lisa turned and walked toward the Beast. She said to Orlando, who walked alongside her, “You search him.”
The Beast was still standing where Lisa left him. “Lieutenant, please let us search you,” Lisa politely said to the Beast.
Orlando began searching the Beast, feeling the sides of his torso. Orlando’s hand stopped on the left pocket of the Beast’s pants. He reached into the pocket and took out a gun. Holding the gun, he looked toward the door.
Mack was standing at the door. “Sir, can you check if this is the same gun?” Orlando called.
“Same gun? What? Oh, no. I didn’t kill her. I wouldn’t have done that kind of thing to Angela,” the Beast pleaded, his ugly face twisting into something even uglier.
Mack walked toward Orlando and leaned to look at the gun. “We need a CSI at the car to check a possible evidence,” Mack spoke on his walkie-talkie.
Soon, a brown-skinned guy with surgical gloves and plain clothes walked out of the door and toward them. His naturally huge eyes studied the gun as he held the gun and focused a silver flashlight on it. “I swear, I would never do that to Angela,” the Beast kept pleading.
After a while of studying the gun, the CSI said, “Yes, it is exactly the same model.”
“Turn around, Lieutenant Castro,” Mack said as he released a handcuff from his belt and approached the Beast.
“This is unacceptable!” The Beast said, but turned around and faced his car. Mack took the Beast’s right hand to handcuff him as he began reciting the Mira
nda rights.
The Beast abruptly turned and quickly ran out of the small gate. “Stop him!” Lisa screamed after him. Orlando ran after the Beast, and Lisa followed Orlando.
Chapter 4
The Beast ran like mad to the left, pushing onlookers aside to keep running. His frantic feet were pounding against the solid ground. Lisa took out her gun, and held it with both her hands as she chased after him and Orlando.
The Beast ran into the property next to his. Lisa widened her eyes as she looked on the ground under the shadows of the trees. It was completely dark. She felt grasses on the ground as she continued running.
The Beast continued running to the woods behind the house. Orlando and Lisa continued chasing him.
After a while of running in the woods, Lisa’s eyes had gotten used to the darkness. The woods were made of different hues of black. The woods had thick grasses and low plants. Trees stood close together. It was extremely silent, except for the sounds of their feet pounding against the ground as they ran and the distant sound of the siren of the police car as it moved in search for the Beast. The air smelled of soil, wood, and leaves. Evening winds blew against Lisa’s face as she ran with great speed. She passed by tree after tree, jumping over huge rocks and avoiding low branches. Still, the Beast was far ahead of her and Orlando.
Soon, they reached the other side of the woods. It was a huge street. There were no cars in sight. The Beast ran straight into an internet cafe across the street. The internet cafe was a white store that had a brown door, a brown roof, and a huge glass window to the left of the door. Even though it was surrounded by a grassy ground, it had a platform made of concrete at its left side. The blue curtains of the window were closed. Orlando and Lisa ran after the Beast, crossing the street. The Beast grabbed a boy inside, wrapping his left arm around the boy’s neck and holding a gun to the boy’s head with his right hand. The boy looked too shocked to scream or fight. Then the Beast closed the door.
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